The Happiest Place on Earth?
by Sciencegeek926
Summary: Paige is taking Ralph to Disneyland, but Ralph wants Walter to join them, and perhaps he has something else in mind... What happens when Ralph schemes to get his favorite people together at the Happiest Place on Earth?
1. Chapter 1

**So, I went to Disneyland the week after Thanksgiving (My classes are online, so I can do that kind of thing lol). While I was there, I had a Waige 'what if' moment. So when I got back I started writing this.**

 **NOTE: This takes place sometime in the future, in a universe where Tim takes that job and they are no longer a couple. I thought about having them still together, because it would've created more of an internal dilemma on Paige's part. I actually did write, and still have versions of parts of this story where they are still together. But I really wanted Walter and Paige to be together by the end of the story, and I didn't want to make Paige a cheater. So, here we are. Hope you enjoy!**

Ralph ran into the garage, "We're going to Disneyland!"

Walter looked up from his computer and smiled at the boy's obvious excitement, "You are? That's great!"

The door swung open again, an irate Paige struggling through with her purse, a backpack, and a laptop, "Ralph, I told you to grab your school stuff from the car." They were the first ones to arrive that morning: there were no peeping eyes, no listening ears, and no Tobys, so Walter allowed himself a smile at Paige's arrival.

Ralph pressed his lips together in a deflated look before turning to take his stuff from his mom. He then quickly dumped it on her desk, anxious to tell Walter about their upcoming vacation. He froze when he heard his mom's voice again, "Ralph! No, not on my desk. Go put it in the loft."

Walter tried to hide his amusement at the exchange, but failed, earning him a glare from Paige. As she set her purse on her desk and took off her jacket, he got up and walked over to her, "So, Disneyland?"

That earned him that smile he loved. He could see she was excited as well. "Yeah, I was never able to take Ralph before Scorpion, and I've never actually gone myself. I thought it'd be fun." Her demeanor changed to apologetic, "I know I haven't even asked for the time off, and I wasn't going to tell Ralph until I did, but you geniuses have a knack for finding out things you're not supposed to, and-."

She'd started rambling, so he cut her off and chuckled, "It's fine Paige, we can spare you for a day or two, permitting there's no national emergency."

She hesitated before responding, "Well, um, I was actually hoping for three days? I also thought it'd be nice to stay at one of their hotels. They have a spa, and a pool, a nice restaurant, and an arcade I'm sure Ralph would enjoy…" She bit her lip, mentally crossing her fingers.

Walter was momentarily distracted by her lip-biting, but by now he'd had lots of practice not letting it show. So after a small, barely noticeable silence, he smiled, "Of course. You deserve it." He knew he was going to miss her presence for two days. Would it be weird if he called to check with her? He wasn't sure. He knew couples did that, but friends and colleagues? Maybe it would be less weird if he had someone else calling with him. Sly, probably. It wasn't ideal, but better than not talking to her at all.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Ralph called, running down the stairs, "Can Walter come with us?"

"Oh." Both Walter and Paige said at the same time. They stared at each other for a second, then Paige looked back at Ralph, "I-I mean, if he wants to…" She hadn't expected this. The thought never even entered her mind. She had to admit she had been looking forward to some alone time with her son. But Ralph and Walter had always had a special bond, and she had a feeling she'd feel too guilty if she said no.

Seeming to read her thoughts, Walter responded, "No, no this is for you and your mom." In truth, he wanted to go. Not because he actually wanted to go to Disneyland; in fact, the idea of those crowds made him superbly uncomfortable, and he was never one to particularly enjoy rides or shows, and definitely not parades. No, he wanted to go for the time he could spend with Paige and Ralph.

When Paige and Tim had broken up two months ago, he'd been ecstatic. He would no longer have to watch her develop a romantic relationship with another man, letting her slip away as she grew more committed to someone else. He wouldn't have to watch her leave with Tim and Ralph for a family dinner, desperately wishing she would just turn around and stay with him, and they could talk and laugh and have the old them back… He never said any of that to Paige, but he suspected she knew. But even with Tim gone, there was still the obstacle of himself. He still had a lot of room for growth, and he didn't deserve her yet.

Even so… It'd been about eight months since Ralph said he should've taken Paige dancing, but those words still haunted him. It had made him long not only for Paige, but also to be Ralph's dad. Officially. He knew that he was getting way ahead of himself, even if he and Paige were together. But now the idea of going to Disneyland, the three of them… As a family. Even if it wasn't quite the kind of family he longed for, even if he couldn't hold Paige's hand as they walk through the park, or hug her for warmth while watching fireworks, or kiss her goodnight… He still liked the idea of them having fun together. He and Paige had gained some of their closeness back after Tim left, but they never fully recovered, mainly because Walter always maintained distance, so he didn't accidentally get too close too soon, before he was ready for a relationship with her.

And it was for that reason he said no. He was afraid that if he went, if he felt the old them coming back, he wouldn't be able to maintain the distance anymore. He couldn't take Paige dancing. Maybe someday he would, but not today. Not until he was 'fully baked.'

And that's when Ralph hit him with the one thing he would never have expected, "But we're partners, remember?"

Walter's gaze snapped to Ralph's. The boy was giving him a meaningful look, and Walter's eyes conveyed some strange mix of a glare and affection.

Paige wasn't sure what was transpiring between the two geniuses, but she'd long learned there were many things they shared that she would never understand. So she simply waited as Walter opened his mouth and closed it again, unsure what to say.

Finally he spoke, "Ralph, I, um… I don't know…" He should say no. But that look Ralph was giving him… he could never say no when he gave him that look. Man, that boy really had him wrapped around his finger.

"But I do know," Ralph responded, and continued looking up at Walter. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he knew why Walter didn't want to go. He was pretty sure everyone thought he was relatively clueless about what was happening between his mom and Walter. They certainly tried to hide it from him, because being a genius doesn't mean you're not still a kid. But he'd learned a thing or two from Toby, and he could see enough to figure out the gist of what was going on in both their heads. It was honestly agonizing to watch. He had tried telling his mom what Walter was thinking, but he didn't think she believed him. That's one of the sucky things about being a kid: no one takes your opinions on adult matters seriously, even if you're a genius.

He'd been trying to formulate a plan to get them together for some time now, but this Disneyland trip presented the perfect opportunity. What better way to get them together than at the Happiest Place on Earth?

Eventually Walter sighed and his shoulders sagged, caving. He looked back and forth between Paige and Ralph, uncertain. "I mean, if your mom doesn't mind…"

She did mind. Not because she didn't like Walter, of course, but… When Tim left, she'd almost expected Walter to jump at the opportunity. She wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't even wait an appropriate amount of time after Tim, in his usual abrasive, cumbersome… _Walter_ way. But he didn't. And when he didn't, she knew she shouldn't place all the expectation on him. If she didn't act, how could she fault _him_ for not acting? But at the same time, he was showing no hints of feelings for her. Like, _none_. The longer she knew him, the better she got at reading him, and she'd been able to pick up signs of his attraction to her, even jealousy when she was with Tim. But now? There was absolutely nothing, and she could never get up the courage to come right out and ask him, convincing herself that the odds were he'd reject her. She wasn't sure she could handle that.

And the longer this went on, the more she believed that the things he said up in space nearly a year ago… that those thoughts always existed purely in his subconscious, and perhaps they were completely gone now. And she wasn't sure she could have a fun time whilst wondering if the man next to her, the man she loved, loved her back.

But, again, she couldn't say no, especially when it was purely for selfish reasons. She'd endured worse things for Ralph, so she could do this. Taking a deep breath, she replied with a smile, "I don't mind."

Walter wasn't sure if he was disappointed or delighted by her answer. He gave a forced smile, "Okay, looks like I'm going to Disneyland."

And Ralph grinned widely, the only genuine smile in the room, relishing the obvious tension and looking forward to them being a real family, _finally_.

 **So, that's the first chapter, hope you liked it! That scene with Ralph telling Walter they could've been partners forever just broke my heart, and I feel like the show hasn't explored Ralph's feelings on this whole mess enough. So future chapters will contain more of Ralph's scheming.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter! And thanks to Nicoledbishop who suggested the possibility that Ralph mentioned the Waige troubles to Veronica in his letters to her in prison. Gave me some ideas… ;)**

* * *

Ralph had really come up with this on a whim, but now he had to work out the details. He was sitting on the couch, doing research for this project he'd dubbed Operation Blue. He named it after the Blue Bayou restaurant, which he'd quickly discovered was the most romantic restaurant in Disneyland. He wanted to make sure the name was vague enough in case anyone, namely Walter, found it, though he was pretty confident he hid it well enough.

He looked up at the sound of heels, and saw his grandma walking through the doorway. She raised one eyebrow, "Hey, you wouldn't have anything to do with this whole Disneyland situation, would you?"

He smirked, "Maybe."

She just winked at him as she crossed the room to the coffee pot. Then she made her way to the back of the couch, leaning over Ralph's shoulder with the steaming mug of coffee, and whispered in a conspiratorial tone, "So, what are you planning?"

He shook his head no. He knew that the fewer people who knew about this, the more likely it would go smoothly.

But she pressed on, rounding the couch to sit next to him. "Oh come on. Whatever you have planned, I want it to work as much as you do. Maybe I can help."

Ralph weighed his options, and eventually decided she'd probably be more help than a liability. He sighed, closed his research and his laptop, and got up to close the door.

Turning back to her and sitting on the couch, he said in a hushed voice, "Okay, this is what I have so far." Veronica smiled that she'd be in on his secret. "The Blue Bayou is the most romantic restaurant in Disneyland. There's also a star room at the Rancho del Zocalo restaurant that's supposed to be romantic at night. The best place to watch fireworks is outside Small World... The only problem is, I can't figure out how to get them alone together. I don't think I'm old enough for my mom to let me do stuff alone for very long."

"Hmmm, that is a problem." After a few seconds, she looked sideways at him through narrowed eyes. "What if..."

"What?"

She faced him fully, "I was thinking, if I came as well, I could look after you-"

He interrupted her with a shake of his head, "I don't know, we might be pushing our luck. It already took some convincing to get Walter to come."

"I'll care of the convincing for you, and you can take care of the rest. What do you say?"

Ralph sighed in resignation, "Okay."

A week later, Walter had endured many interrogations from Toby about this trip. As always he'd deflected, but Toby would read him like a book. He warned Walter this would have repercussions. He knew it would, but he convinced himself he could keep his distance. Sure it'd be hard, but he'd been doing it in some form for almost four years now. So what's three days?

Paige had spent the week quietly nervous. She was sure Toby noticed, but thankfully he didn't say anything to her. She was still trying to figure out to what extent she trusted her mom, and wasn't sure what to make of her coming with them. She hadn't put up much of a fight when her mom had approached her about it, mainly because it wasn't worth the effort. Her mom had claimed to want to spend some quality time with her daughter and grandson, but despite things going (mostly) without incident since her return, Paige still couldn't quite shake off years of her lies.

The four of them piled into the car with their luggage, ready for the typical LA traffic. Paige started the engine and the radio came on.

As they backed out of the garage driveway, Paige prompted Ralph, who was in the backseat, "Alright, you ready to meet Mickey?"

Ralph rolled his eyes, "Mom, I'm not five. I don't care about the characters. I want to ride Space Mountain!"

Paige laughed, "I know you're not five, sweetie. But I do want to get a picture with one of the characters."

He groaned in that way only a preteen can, "Mom…"

She replied playfully indignant, "Oh, come on, you don't have to be a kid to get excited about kid things. Isn't that what Disneyland is for?" When Ralph didn't reply, she turned to the other adults, "Guys, help me out here!"

Walter had been listening with mild amusement in the backseat next to Ralph. But he wasn't exactly looking forward to huddling up with adults in silly costumes. He was a little taken off guard when she had incited his help, so he faltered, "I, uh, do I have to be in the picture too?"

Veronica giggled at that in the passenger seat, while Paige glared at him briefly, mouth open in half-mock exasperation. "Yes, of course! All of you are taking pictures with me and at least one Disneyland character, whether you like it or not." Despite her smile, they all knew when she used that tone, there was no arguing with her. She continued more seriously, "Besides, Ralph, I know you're too old to be into that stuff, but I want the picture anyways, okay?"

Walter looked at her, remembering that neither she nor Ralph had ever been to Disneyland. Neither had he, but he never cared about that stuff, but Paige did. He wondered if she wanted those memories, even if they weren't obtained at the typical age.

When Ralph just mumbled something incoherent, Walter spoke up, "Your mom's right, Ralph. We can take one picture for her, right?"

Veronica sighed in exasperation, quietly so the others wouldn't notice. She read people for a living, and the person that she could read the best had always been her daughter. She'd drawn the same conclusion as Walter had, and wondered how that man could think he didn't deserve Paige.

Ralph sighed in defeat, "Yeah, okay."

Paige glanced in the rearview mirror at Walter, "Thank you."

They drove for a while in comfortable silence, only the sound of the car and the radio playing faintly in the background, until Paige reached for the radio to turn it up, "Oooh, I love this song."

She started singing along, "So gather all the rebels now, we'll rebel rouse and sing aloud…"

Walter couldn't hide his smile. Her voice really was incredible. It was like the smooth, gentle tone of her speaking voice amplified into a striking, compelling ring with an undeniable undercurrent of sweetness and grace, and he just thought it so fitting to her personality.

Then Veronica joined in, and Walter found out where Paige had gotten her voice.

Paige waived to Walter, "Come, on sing with us!" He shook his head no as she kept singing, "We will leave the empty chairs for those who say we can't sit there." She glanced back at Walter, "Oh, I know you can sing."

"I don't know the lyrics."

She rolled her eyes, knowing he had won this one.

When they arrived at the hotel and walked into the lobby, Paige gasped, "Wow, this is beautiful."

The lobby was a huge, open space arranged with couches and tables, and there were large, beautiful chandeliers of rich brown wood which matched the wood panels of the walls. The ceilings were high, revealing a second story balcony encompassing the entire lobby. There was a stony archway leading to a smaller alcove filled with seats around a big fire. Just outside the entrance to the alcove was a grand piano, which Paige imagined would be played in the evening. The whole room felt cozy, intimate, and inviting, despite its large size.

Paige felt compelled to enter the fireplace alcove, but Ralph tugged her to the check-in counter, anxious to get to the park 'sometime before noon,' as he put it. She scolded him for being so impatient, but headed over to check in regardless.

Their rooms had the same feel as the lobby, full of rich browns and warm colors. They had booked two adjoining rooms, girls in one and boys in the other. Ralph thought it was kind of fitting: mother and daughter, and, well... father-like and son-like.

Ralph had always thought of Walter as his closest friend, the person who understood him best and always would, ever since Walter began playing chess with him in the diner. But their relationship was something... different than a best friend. Ralph hadn't been able to put his finger on it until he found out Walter and his mom had feelings for each other, just after Walter crashed over the cliff. And that's when it hit him: Walter was more like a dad than a friend. He'd assumed at that point that his mom and Walter would eventually end up together, even if they took a long time. But... then things got messed up. And he wasn't blind; he could sense the tension and distance between them, starting when Walter went out with Linda, and it only grew since then. He spent awhile wishing Walter hadn't done that: Ralph was convinced Paige wouldn't have gone out with Tim if she thought she was getting anywhere with Walter. And he'd spent nights laying awake, arguing with himself. It felt like his parents were divorcing, but that's insanely illogical because they were never together, let alone married.

He didn't dare do anything while his mom was with Tim. If she found out... Oh, boy. But now? Ralph didn't see anything in their way, except themselves. He was sure that if he could just get them talking, they'd talk some sense into each other.

When the adults finished getting settled in their hotel rooms (why do they always take so long for such things?) Ralph tugged his mom down the hallway to the elevators. He wanted to put Operation Blue into action as soon as possible. And he wanted to ride Space Mountain.

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 **Well, that's the second chapter, hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will take place in Disneyland! I know there wasn't much Waige in this one, but it's coming, I promise.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**I wasn't planning on taking so long to update, but an idea hit me for another story and I guess I've been working on them simultaneously. But I'm going to focus on this one from now on until it's done. Also, note that this happens in a universe where Tower of Terror will still be there in the future. Still mad about that... Anyway, to the story...**

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The quartet walked down Main Street, and picked up some ice cream from one of the shops, browsing the candy section.

Ralph pointed to the caramel apple counter, "Can I have one?"

Paige looked over and replied, "You already have ice cream Ralph."

"Later?"

"Okay, on our way out of the park tonight, as long as you don't eat too much sugar today. You... don't process sugar well," she replied, remembering the candy corn incident.

Veronica had witnessed the exchange, and walked over to Walter, who was a few aisles over, "She's a good mother," but her voice said that she wanted to say more.

Walter grunted in agreement, wanting to cut off whatever conversation Veronica was planning.

But she continued anyway, "And you're a good... role model to Ralph."

Now Walter got it. He grunted agreement again, walking away to find Ralph and Paige, avoiding a discussion about his feelings, determined not to slip.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he rounded the corner and found Paige bent over, looking at the bottom shelf. He was pretty sure he forgot how to breathe. He'd noticed her particularly casual outfit with leggings before, but her long, loose blouse had covered the most... conspicuous aspects. But now, even as she stood up straight, her shirt caught onto the back of her leggings, revealing every curve. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly going dry, and could only be glad of the fact she seemed so intense on the product she held, she didn't even notice his presence. That gave him time to look away and recover before she turned to him and said, "Hey, I'm just gunna buy this real quick and then I'll be ready, okay?"

He nodded and smiled, "Okay." But inside he was cursing those leggings.

As they entered the center of the park, Ralph announced, of course, that he'd memorized the park map in preparation, and led them into Frontierland.

They strolled around, enjoying the atmosphere, ate some barbecue chicken, then rode Pirates of the Caribbean. Walter had fully expected to suffer through the 'entertainment' in return for time spent with Paige and Ralph, but as the day went on, he realized he was actually enjoying the rides. Although, that could be just because Paige and Ralph were enjoying them, and that made him happy. Paige and him were interacting normal again, and it felt like a fist that had been gripping his chest had suddenly released. But there still remained the little voice in his head, buzzing like an annoying fly, which warned him to be careful in every conversation, else he fall into something he can't handle.

He was thinking about this when Paige got his attention, "That's a cute shop," Paige pointed and headed in its direction.

Walter internally groaned. He could enjoy the rides, shows, and food, but sifting through over-commercialized cheap plastic trinkets? Not so much.

Paige saw the look on his face and rolled her eyes, "Oh, come on. We'll just go in for five minutes."

Walter trailed behind Paige, Veronica, and Ralph as they entertained themselves with the merchandise. He found himself unsuccessfully fighting a smile a few times when their silly behavior amused him. Maybe this wasn't so bad…

Then something caught his eye. It was a small rack of rings, encased in soft blue cases. They were gold, with a crystal Mickey and a cursive letter. He instinctively began looking for a P. He didn't know what it was, but those rings just looked so… Paige. He could just see the look on her face when he gave it to her. A voice in the back of his head said he shouldn't, but he shoved it aside; it was perfectly acceptable for friends and colleagues to surprise each other with gifts... right?

Paige glanced behind her and realized they'd left Walter behind. She turned around and managed to spot him through the displays and clumps of people. She nudged Ralph and headed back toward Walter.

Then she spotted an Indiana Jones hat. She picked it up, and with a wink and a 'Sshh' signal to Ralph, she began to sneak up behind Walter. Successfully plopping the hat on his head from behind, she smirked when he turned around.

"Well hellooo, Mr. Jones," she drawled in a soft, sultry voice, batting her eyelashes.

Walter, still ruminating about the rings, was slow to process. Who was Mr. Jones? Those were flirtation markers, weren't they? Why was Paige pretend-flirting with pretend-Mr. Jones? And was it just that, or was she also real-flirting with real-Walter?

She must have seen his confusion, because her smirk widened into a full grin, "You know, as in Indiana Jones?"

Brow furrowed, Walter responded, "Oh yes, I think I remember that movie."

She giggled, finding his obliviousness at pop culture adorable as always, and reflexively touched his shoulder, squeezing slightly before realizing what she was doing and dropping her hand. A lump formed in the back of her throat as she was reminded how much she missed him, and how much it was her fault. She had thought a lot about their relationship after Tim left. It was as if Tim's presence had clouded her judgement, giving her a place to retreat and hide from what was happening. She hadn't wanted to admit it, but she'd screwed up, bad. She'd been incredibly unfair to Walter, expecting him to be normal when she fully knew he wasn't, and abandoning her job as a communicator, and worse, as his friend. She'd been so focused on protecting herself from abandonment, that _she_ had abandoned _him_. The morning after coming to this realization and crying her eyes out, she'd ended the attempt of a long-distance relationship with Tim, but it seemed to be too late. She supposed she couldn't blame Walter if he no longer wanted her, out of his own self-preservation.

Walter smiled at her giggle. He loved that sound so much. But his third question went unanswered. He understood that her touch could be a flirtation marker, but isn't it also a sign of platonic friendship? He still couldn't tell the difference. This was all so confusing. Then a thought hit him: how many of those touches over the years, all the times she brushed her hand on him, were flirtation markers? How many had he missed? How many times had he unknowingly rejected her by not reciprocating?

"Walter?" She barely uttered his name above a whisper. He'd been staring. She couldn't quite read the look in his eyes, but whatever he'd been thinking, the emotion behind it made her stomach flutter. It was the first sign of emotion toward her she'd seen in months, and she didn't know if she was thrilled, confused, or worried. Probably all of the above.

He blinked at his name, not sure how long he'd been thinking. He awkwardly tried to recover, as if looking away now could hide the fact he'd been staring at her. He cleared his throat, "Uh, right, well um, let's go."

He began to walk towards the door, when Paige grabbed his elbow, "Walter, the hat."

"Oh, right." He took it off and placed it back with the others. He could feel her looking at him curiously, but he carefully avoided her gaze as they left the shop.

Ralph and Veronica gave each other knowing looks, and Ralph whispered out of earshot from the future couple, "I haven't even started my plan yet, and it's already working."

Veronica smiled, "I guess we shouldn't have underestimated the power of the happiest place on Earth, eh?"

After riding Thunder Mountain Railroad, Ralph managed to talk to Walter without the others hearing, "You know, there's a star room at Rancho del Zocalo. I thought it might be cool, but when I looked at pictures, I think it might be over-hyped."

Walter replied, "Yeah? What does it look like?"

"It has colorful glass stars hanging from the ceiling, and they reflect light onto the ceiling and walls."

Walter shrugged, "We could still check it out if you want. Your mom might enjoy it."

Ralph only barely contained his smirk. Hook-line and sinker. Trying to be as nuetral and nonchalant as he could, he shrugged, "Sure."

Walter caught up to Paige and Veronica and explained what Ralph had told him, finishing with, "I think you might like it."

Paige smiled, "Yeah, that sounds nice."

They got their food, and Ralph lead them to an intimate room with only a few tables. "Oh, Walter, you're right. I love it." The reflected light was the only lighting in the room, giving the sense of dazzling bright stars above them in a night sky.

As they ate, Paige couldn't help feel a little flushed. The room was more than beautiful, it was, dare she say, romantic.

Her mom interrupted her thoughts, "Ralph, since we're both done eating, why don't we take another spin on Thunder Mountain?"

She then winked at Ralph, while Ralph nodded enthusiastically. Paige realized that winking thing was a thing with them, and it bothered her a little that her son and her mom might share something that she wasn't a part of. She knew it shouldn't, but after being hurt by her mom for so many years, her protective instincts for Ralph still made her worry about their growing relationship. "Oh, I don't know, Mom..."

"Oh, please?" Veronica made an exaggerated pouty face, "I just want to spend some quality time with my grandson."

Paige almost retorted, 'you've been spending time with him all day.' But she knew that would be selfish, and petty, and irrational. So she sighed, "All right."

Walter looked at Paige as they left, "He's fine with her. The lines are short, they won't be gone more than half an hour."

Paige sighed again, taking a slightly aggravated bite of her enchilada, "I know, it's just..." Walter waited silently while she thought. "I cut my mom out of my life a long time ago, before Ralph. I made the decision when I got pregnant that it would stay that way, because she'd been such a terrible influence in my childhood, and I couldn't let that happen to Ralph. I thought it was the right thing to do, but now..." She bit her lip and turned to Walter, who was looking at her intensely. "I'm not sure what to do. I still don't trust her. Every morning I half expect to wake up and find out that she has disappeared again." She started to feel tears well up in her eyes, and swallowed thickly before continuing, "My experience with her tells me not to let her and Ralph get close, but... Do I have a right to do that? And what if, by some miracle she has changed? I could be robbing my son of having a grandma." Her bottom lip trembled a little, and she looked away, rubbing her face, trying to get back under control. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say all that..." She trailed off, unsure what to say. And she really hadn't meant to spill her heart out to Walter. She didn't know where all that came from. Apparently this was bottled up more than she thought. She glanced back up at Walter tentatively, and the look in his eyes melted her heart.

"No, it's ok, Paige."

She sighed, "I don't know, I guess I'm struggling with this more than I thought." _I guess I needed you more than I thought_ , she thought. Then whispered, "I don't know what to do."

"Um, w-well, I can't really tell you what the right thing is, b-but..." He wasn't sure he should say this next part. Yes, she seemed to want advice from him, but what were his boundaries? He and Paige had been so estranged for so long he really had no idea anymore. But he continued, "I think you should give her a chance, or at least a chance with Ralph. E-even if she does hurt him, I, um, I think that would be l-less hurtful than if he thinks you prevented a good relationship." When her eyes flashed, he quickly clarified, "N-not that you are. I don't trust her much more than you do, because I trust your judgement. B-but... he might not see it like that when he gets older."

Paige deflated, her shoulders sagging. After a moment, she replied weakly, "You're right." Paige incongruously wondered how they'd flipped roles, where _he_ was giving _her_ relationship advice. Then a wave of guilt hit her, "Did I make the wrong decision before?"

Walter shook his head, "No, Paige, you made the only decision you could to protect your son. And whatever you decide now, I-I'm sure it will be the right one, because you're a great mom."

Her heart melted a little more, and she gave a somber laugh, "Thanks, Walter, that's really sweet." Her voice gave out a little on the last word, so she swallowed before finishing, "But great moms make mistakes too, you know."

Walter's lips curled up slightly in the corners, knowing it was true but having no idea how to admit that but still comfort her.

She placed her hands tentatively on his shoulders, and leaned in slightly, gauging his reaction. When he stiffened but didn't pull away, she slowly pulled him in for a hug, making sure to give him every opportunity to pull away if he needed to. But he didn't.

Alarm bells were ringing in his head, but at that moment he didn't care. He felt himself melting against her, and wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer.

She whispered in his ear, "Thank you."

"Always."

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 **Hope you enjoyed it, and reviews are very welcome, as always! Also, this chapter and the next one are generally pretty sweet, but there IS some angst coming up, so be prepared...**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm glad you guys are still liking this! This one is a little short because it was actually supposed to be part of the last chapter, but that one was getting too long, so I decided to cut it into two chapters.  
**

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As Ralph and Veronica waited in line, Veronica nudged Ralph, "So, you think they're smooching yet?"

"Grandma!" Ralph scrunched up his nose, even though he was smiling.

"I'm sorry," she laughed in a way that said she wasn't really sorry at all. "Anyway, I have a feeling it's gunna take a lot more than a romantic dinner to get those two together."

"You don't think this will work?"

"No, no, honey, I do. They just have a lot to talk about, is all. They won't completely patch things up over one dinner, but your plan is great to open the lines of communication for them." She continued with a tone of sarcasm, "Apparently, they haven't been able to do that for themselves."

"Tell me about it," Ralph replied, rolling his eyes.

When they got back to the dining area, Paige and Walter were in the middle of a quiet conversation, sitting closer than when they had left. Ralph and Veronica shared a wink just before Paige noticed them.

"Oh, hey guys! Did you have fun?"

Ralph nodded, and with a smile he asked, "Did you?"

Paige, confused at his choice of words, glanced briefly at Walter and answered, "Uh, yeah, I guess so."

Then Veronica nudged Ralph, and leaned in toward him and whispered so the other two couldn't hear her, "Don't be so obvious."

Paige and Walter shared a confused glance, and Walter gave a small shrug as if to say, 'Don't ask me.'

When Veronica leaned away from Ralph again, Paige said lightly, "Um, if you two are done sharing secrets, are we ready to go?"

Everyone conceded, and decided that they would head over to California Adventure. Their first ride? Tower of Terror.

As they waited in line inside a beautiful model of the famed Hollywood Tower Hotel, they were pleasantly surprised by a singing performance of a swinging twenties-style trio. Paige took Ralph's hands and began dancing with him in line, three feet in front of the singers, thoroughly embarrassing him. She then took a picture of all four of them, the singers in the background, just before they were herded into a big room by a bell hopper making spooky puns in a deadpan voice. They crowded inside, and Walter was forced to press shoulder to shoulder with a man who smelled strongly of beer. His aversion to touch and to intoxicated people was making him extremely uncomfortable.

Just before the lights went out, Paige caught the sour look on Walter's face, and nearly laughed. She touched Walter's wrist to get his attention, then shifted so that he took her place on the perimeter, and she was squeezed between Walter and the drunk guy. She only hoped the guy wouldn't lose his dinner on a ride like this.

But this new arrangement presented another dilemma for Walter: Paige was faced away from him, her back brushing his chest. The scent of lavender wafted up to him, and her hair stirred just in front of him, where if he just tilted his head a fraction of an inch... Peach shampoo. And with one side tucked behind her ear, if he bent forward a little, he could...

He surprised himself when a low growl rose from his throat. He hadn't known he was even capable of making such a sound. His mouth was just inches from her ear, so he could only hope that the TV playing a black and white video as an intro to the ride was loud enough to cover it up for him. Though he knew the odds weren't in his favor.

He grunted with the effort of lifting his head high and fixing his gaze on the TV screen, but before he could begin to compose himself, Paige leaned onto him, the full length of her body against his, and she reached back to grab his wrist.

She'd felt all of it. His breath stirring her hair, lowering his head near her neck, and God that growl. She'd found it... _hot_ , in a weird, new-side-of-Walter way. She'd suddenly couldn't balance on her own, and apparently her body figured Walter was the best stabilizer. _I'm swooning_ , she thought. _Actually swooning_. She chastised herself for getting so worked up over something so little. But that voice was soon overwritten when she felt his hand grip her hip, his breath back on her ear, and his barely audible voice, even to her, "Paige."

She slowly turned, still holding his wrist and his other hand still on her hip, until she could look at him. Their faces were inches away, and she shuddered when his eyes dropped to her lips, and stayed there. The voice in her head giving her all the reasons it was a bad idea to slam her lips on his became less and less dominant, as her need to be close to him became stronger...

"Mom!" Ralph's impatient voice came through, though when she tore her eyes away from Walter, he had a wide smirk on his face. Then she realized the video was over, and the room was lit and nearly empty, the last two people filing out to get on the ride.

"Oh, sorry." She knew her voice was breathy and a bit shaky, but she'd already given up any hope of hiding what just happened.

Then the bell hopper commented as they passed through the door, in the same deadpan voice, "Might I suggest you rent a room here at the Hollywood Tower Hotel?"

They were both blushing furiously, and when Veronica couldn't hold in her snicker anymore, Paige gave her a glare that had her pressing her lips together to contain her amusement and putting on an innocent mask. But as soon as Paige and Walter turned their backs, Veronica grinned widely at Ralph, and they shared a silent high-five.

But their excitement didn't last for long. For the rest of the night, Walter barely uttered a word to Paige, and the few times they did interact, they were both fumbling and awkward.

 _We almost kissed,_ Walter kept repeating in his head. He was sure that if Ralph hadn't interrupted them, there would have been no _almost_ about it. He should have known this would happen. Now what were they going to do? He was sure that ignoring it was a bad idea. They'd tried that for a long time and it never worked out well. But what was he supposed to say? _'Hey, Paige, I just wanted to say that I love you, but we shouldn't be together yet because I'm half-baked. We can talk about it later.'_ No, he would have to wait until they had some privacy, but even then he wasn't sure what he would say. For now, all he could do was try to avoid her. That was the only way he could keep himself from kissing her, or blurting something out about how beautiful she was or how much he loved her. He didn't want to be rude, but he saw the hurt in her eyes a few times, and it took everything in him to not kiss her right then and there, letting her know that he didn't want to reject her.

 _We almost kissed,_ Paige kept thinking, _We would have kissed_. She had no idea what she was feeling. One thing was for sure, though: she suddenly found Walter much more attractive, and he seemed to be having a lot more cute moments. And she was feeling incredibly awkward around him. When she realized she'd been babbling to him about cotton candy for five minutes, she quickly shut herself up. _God, I'm like a teenager._ And she couldn't say it didn't hurt her when he refused to engage in a conversation with her. The almost-kiss made it clear that he still had feelings for her, but... Was this it? Was this how it was going to be? He didn't seem to be willing to admit his feelings any more than he had a year ago. What reason did she have to believe he ever would?

 _They almost kissed,_ Ralph thought, every time he saw them fumbling around each other, occasionally sharing an exasperated glance with his grandma. Gosh, it was frustrating. There was nothing getting in their way except themselves. He could only hope that what he had planned for tomorrow would fix it once and for all. If it didn't, well... This plan may have done more harm than good, if they were going to continue avoiding each other like this.

* * *

 **There's going to be two, maybe three more chapters. Anyway, this gets sweet again before we really get into the angst... Love you!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so, I lied, there's gunna be one more chapter than I thought, making a total of 8 chapters. This one has more reminiscing than I had intended, but I suppose I'm just missing old-Waige...**

* * *

The next morning, the four of them met downstairs in the hotel restaurant for breakfast. To everyone's relief, the awkwardness seemed to have subsided, though there may have been a few fumbling apologies when Walter and Paige got in each others way, and there might have been an incident in which Walter accidentally touched Paige's arm and jerked his hand back, splashing a full glass of water onto his own plate.

Near the end of their meal, Paige suggested, "Hey, we should go swimming before heading into the park. Their pool is beautiful." Turning to Ralph, she added, "They have a water slide." Ralph agreed enthusiastically, while Veronica shrugged, not really caring either way. When Walter didn't respond, she turned to him, "What do you say, Walter?"

Walter, who had always been appalled at the idea of a swimming pool, shook his head.

"Come on, Walter. What, are you just gunna sit in your room by yourself?" she asked teasingly.

He shrugged, "That's what I've done for most of my life. And I brought my laptop, so I won't be bored."

"You brought your-" She cut herself of and rolled her eyes in exasperation, "You are coming with us, Walter. This family is a democracy, and we've got three to one."

Deciding not to overthink her choice of the word 'family', he responded, "I didn't bring a swimsuit." After a pause, he corrected, "I don't _own_ a swimsuit."

"That's fine, just hang out."

Sighing, he knew he'd run out out of excuses, "Fine."

Paige smiled, "Good." Then, talking to everyone, "We'll meet up at the pool, and Walter, you better be there."

* * *

Walter arrived at the pool, carrying his laptop. He noticed Paige was wearing a flowy sundress, and the straps of her swim suit peeked out the top and wrapped around to a bow at the back of her neck. He quickly pushed aside the thought of what she might be wearing underneath, opening his laptop. When Paige saw the laptop, she said, "Walter, I didn't want you here so you could be on your laptop. If you're gunna do that, you might as well be in your room."

"Okay," he closed his laptop, turned around, and headed in the direction of the pool exit, knowing full well that's not what she meant.

"Hey!" She laughed, grabbing his elbow, "That's not what I meant, and you know it."

He turned around and just gave her a slight smirk. God, he was cute when he did that. Rolling her eyes, she caved, "Alright, fine, you can have your laptop."

Even though she would have liked him to actually engage, she secretly found it hilariously adorable that he'd be sitting beside a pool under a cabana on a warm, sunny day... on a computer. It was just so... _Walter_. And the more she thought about it, the more she liked _that_ , rather than if he did the normal thing of swimming and participating. And she thought that seemed like a good metaphor for how she fell in love with him: He was, every day, proving her wrong about what she wanted and what she liked. Walter was nothing like the fictional man she'd imagined herself falling in love with, the man who was so much like Tim, and yet, here she was, _not_ with Tim, and thinking about metaphors of her love for Walter.

"Cute dress!" Veronica pulled Paige out of her thoughts.

"Uh, thanks."

"Hey, mom, these water slides are awesome! You have to try it!"

Paige smiled, "Okay, sweetie, I'll be there in a second." She pushed the straps of her dress off her shoulders, and let the dress fall to the ground. She was wearing a simple, black bikini sewn with blue thread. It wasn't at all overly revealing, in fact it was quite modest for a bikini, but she instantly felt a little self-conscious at her bare stomach and thighs. She had never been particularly self-conscious about her body since her teens, but she hadn't shown this much skin since before she was pregnant with Ralph. Not to mention that nobody except Drew had ever seen her stretch marks. Of course, there was that time at the nudist hot springs, but her adrenaline and fear that day had far outweighed the insecurities that, even now, only briefly entered her mind before following Ralph into the pool.

Walter fixed his gaze on his computer, biting the inside of his cheek with the effort of keeping his eyes from drifting to her. He could see her in his peripheral vision, and god she was beautiful. But he wasn't sure if he looked at her directly that he'd be able to look away, and he didn't think he had any right to stare at her like that.

She'd be lying if she said she hadn't felt a twinge of disappointment when Walter didn't even glance at her. Had he even noticed? She thought back to that first dance with Walter, how he had so awkwardly responded to her question if the dress looked good. And that time he'd been staring at her as she'd strode out of the ocean. The look in his eyes... Why was he not looking at her like that now? She felt a little silly questioning and analyzing this, as if she were an insecure teenager again looking for attention from guys. But this was so far from just any guy, and she felt the old frustration come back. They'd almost _kissed_ last night, and now he was pulling back again. Why did he always do this?

But she pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind. She was going to have fun with her son, dammit.

Walter didn't really do much on his laptop. He was too busy observing Paige and Ralph. They would go down a water slide, then surprise-attack each other with a squirt from a water gun, and he couldn't help but think what a great mom she was. It was the very first thing he'd noticed about her. The way she handled Ralph at the diner... It took a great mom and a strong woman to raise a genius kid with so much patience and understanding. And that was the second the he learned about her: the strength of her personality, when she told him off for insulting her nail polish. And not just anybody could drive 200mph a few feet underneath a flying plane. If it hadn't been for her, a lot of people would have died that day.

Meanwhile, he was aware of the scrutiny of Veronica, who sat beside him, sipping a pina colada. Eventually he sighed and turned to her, "Yes?"

She narrowed her eyes, and he suddenly felt very uncomfortable, as if she were trying to read his thoughts. After what seemed like an eternity, she replied, "You really love her, don't you?"

Walter was taken aback by the question. Of course he did, but why was she asking him that? And did he have to answer now, with Paige so close by? With a nervous glance at Paige, who had just lost an underwater breath-holding competition, he answered tentatively, "Uh, yes."

"Then what the hell is holding you back?"

Walter hesitated. Were they really having this conversation here, now? "Um, well, I... I'm still not... I'm not able to be there for her emotionally. Not... not yet. I wouldn't be good for her right now."

Veronica gave an exaggerated sigh, "Haven't I already told you that you are what is best for my daughter? I don't know where you got his idea that you're not what she wants."

He was about to reply when he heard Paige get out of the water. He snapped his jaw shut and turned to her, only for his jaw to fall slack again. God, he was even more mesmerized than that time he saw her walking out of the ocean, sopping wet and her shirt clinging to her body. After what could've been a few seconds or hours, he realized he wasn't breathing, and quickly let out the breath he'd been holding. He wondered when he had become so affected by her like that. He had never really felt much attraction before Paige. Sure, he had understood what constituted a conventionally beautiful woman, but he had never actually felt the attraction himself. He wasn't sure when it had happened with Paige, but oh, boy was he attracted to her now. He supposed it probably happened somewhere around the time he had fallen in love with her.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Paige approached them, "Hey, it's almost lunchtime, so I was thinking we could go into Disneyland and eat somewhere on Mainstreet?"

Walter wasn't quite recovered, so Veronica answered as Paige wrapped herself in her towel, "Yeah, sounds good."

Paige had noticed Walter's staring, and looked away from him as she felt a blush creep up her neck to her cheeks. _That_ was the look she'd been thinking about earlier, and she felt and strange mix of relief and impatience, wishing he would quit holding on to whatever was making him shy away every time they got close. She decided that moment that she would talk to him next time she had the chance. They needed to clear the air, because she couldn't go on with this will-he-or-won't-he game anymore.

* * *

After lunch, they headed further into the park, and passed the same shop with the, well, Indiana Jones hat... incident. Ralph spoke up, "There's something in there I wanted to buy, can we go in?"

Once inside, Ralph approached his grandma and spoke quietly to make sure Paige and Walter couldn't hear, "Can I talk to you alone?"

She nodded, and turned to the other two, "We're gunna be over there," and pointed to the T-shirt section.

As they walked away, Ralph explained, "Okay, so I think Walter wanted to get my mom one of those rings."

Veronica smiled, "You read my mind. Let me guess, you don't think Walter will have the guts to get it himself, so you want to buy it and give it to him to give to her." When Ralph smiled and nodded, Veronica shook her head, "It's like we share the same brain." Then she tilted her head and corrected, "Well, minus the genius part."

"Only problem is, I don't have the money for it, and my mom will know something's up if I ask for more."

"Ah, you want _me_ to buy it." She paused for dramatic effect, pretending like she had to think about it. Then she smiled, "Of course!"

She bought it, and discreetly handed it to Ralph, who stashed it in his backpack. He knew exactly when he was gunna give it to Walter. Just not yet. He looked at the time, and realized that took longer than he'd expected. Crap. He was in danger now of running late... "We need to get fastpasses for Space Mountain," he said with a little too much urgency.

Paige looked down at him in slight surpise, "Oh, okay, well we're gunna get some ice cream here first, then we can do that."

Ralph took a deep breath, thinking quickly, "But if we wait any longer, the fastpass return time might be in the middle of the fireworks." He didn't tell her that he'd done the calculations, and he knew exactly what return time was currently being distributed. And it certainly wasn't the same time as the fireworks.

After hesitating Paige replied, "Okay, Grandma can take you. But that means you won't get any ice cream."

Ralph was already rushing away, pulling Veronica with him, and yelled over his shoulder, "That's okay!"

Soon he broke out into a run, and his grandma exclaimed, "Hey, what's the rush?"

"No time to explain!"

They were both huffing and puffing by the time they reached the fastpass distributor for Space Mountain. When Ralph caught sight of what the return time was, he breathed out a "Yes!" and quickly retrieved four fastpasses. He knew that his mom and Walter wouldn't be using them, but they didn't know that. It would look too weird if he had only gotten two.

Just as he walked away from the distributor, Veronica asked, "Okay, you wanna tell me what that was all about?"

Ralph smirked, "Well, I made reservations at the Blue Bayou for 8:00 tonight. Mom knows we're eating dinner there, but she doesn't know that I calculated when the fastpass return time would be 8:00 to 9:00, so you and I have to miss dinner to use them. Mom knows it's my favorite ride, so I don't think she'll refuse."

Veronica laughed and high-fived him, "That's my boy."

* * *

 **Hope you liked it! I meant to move the story along a lot more this chapter, but the scene at the pool kinda got away from me... Oh well, the next chapter will be very Waige-y, then the angst after that. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Aaah sorry for the long wait, I had some writer's block with this chapter. But this one is a bit long, so hopefully that'll make up for it.**

* * *

Everyone stood outside the Blue Bayou, saying their goodbyes.

Paige spoke to Veronica, "Bring him back as soon as you're done, okay?"

"Of course!" Veronica feigned shock that Paige would suggest she'd do anything but.

Ralph hugged Walter, slipping the ring box from his own pocket to Walter's, and whispered in his ear, "Give it to her."

Walter was confused, until Ralph patted Walter's pocket and he felt the ring box. When Ralph pulled back, Walter looked at him in astonishment. How did he know... and how did he even pay for it... Veronica.

He felt himself blush. Was he that obvious? He looked at Veronica, and she gave him a knowing smirk, before guiding Ralph away.

Paige noticed the exchange, and wondered what could have possibly transpired between the three of them. She felt as if she had just intruded on a conversation about her. She tried to catch Walter's eye, but he avoided her gaze as he walked into the restaurant.

* * *

Before Ralph and Veronica left, Veronica told Ralph to wait, and got the attention of one of the servers. "Hey, so you see those two over there?" She motioned with her hands, and when the waiter nodded, she continued, "That's my daughter, and me and my grandson are playing a little game of matchmaker." She paused for dramatic effect before the big finish, "So if you don't mind, could you seat them in the most intimate, romantic table you have?" She pulled out a $50 from her purse and extended it to the waiter as she spoke. Seeing the money, he happily agreed and reached out to take it, but she pulled it back slightly, "But this remains between you and me."

He smiled and nodded, "Of course."

She smiled and handed him the money, turning back to Ralph.

Ralph smirked, "Nice one."

* * *

The waiter led Walter and Paige to the far corner of the restaurant, where it was dimly lit and only one couple was in their line of sight. The table was on the edge of the water, where the only sounds were (fake) crickets, the water lapping at the shore, and the soft banjo track playing in the background. There was a soft blue glow coming from the bayou of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and they could see the fireflies bouncing and blinking from the opposite side of the water. Paige thought the atmosphere was quite peaceful and relaxing, and was a bit of fresh air from the chaos that had become her life.

That was, until they actually ordered their food, and were left with nothing to do but talk. It was... awkward, to put it nicely. It was the first time they'd had a chance to talk alone since the night before, and suddenly they were thrown into a deafening silence all over again. They spent the entire time waiting for their food trying to look at and think about anything else but each other. They both felt welcome relief when their food arrived, giving them something to do with their hands.

After some time spent picking at their food, Paige tried to break the ice, "So... what were you working on at the pool this morning?"

"Uh, just a new program I'm developing." His answer was deliberately vague, due to the fact that he hadn't even opened his IDE that morning, let alone actually did anything.

"Oh." The conversation, if it ever was one, fell into another silence.

Paige tried again, this time giving in to her own curiosities, trying to sound as casual as possible, "So, um, what did Ralph say to you before dinner?"

The ring. He'd nearly forgotten. He was still unsure about it, but maybe it could break this insufferable tension. He pulled it out of his pocket, and cleared his throat, "I, uh..."

When his voice trailed off into another silence, she encouraged, "Yeah?"

"Well, um, I saw this, and I-I just thought you might like it."

She looked down at his outstretched hand. A ring box. "Oh, Walter..."

"I-It's okay, it's not a big deal," he said hastily when he saw the surprised look on her face.

She grabbed it and opened it hesitantly. She took in a sharp breath when she saw it. In all honesty, she had half expected it to be hideous, in one of his adorable attempts to connect. He wasn't exactly great at understanding what general people enjoy, let alone what girls like. But this... this was beautiful. It was radiant, but still elegant so it didn't border on flashy.

Something about this gift had her chest aching. She pressed her lips together as she pulled it out of the box and slipped it on. It was slightly big on her finger, but she didn't really care.

Walter didn't know what to make of this. She hadn't said anything, and her head was down, so he couldn't see her face. He watched her carefully for a reaction until she looked up at him with slightly watered eyes and smiled, "Thank you, Walter."

Walter's rigid shoulders relaxed in relief. "Y-You like it?"

"Yes, it's beautiful." Her smile turned playful and she tilted her head, "But... that didn't answer my question."

"Oh- um, Ralph told me to give it to you. He actually gave it to me to give to you." Seeing the look of disappointment on her face, he clarified, "I-I mean, I saw it in the store and wanted to give it to you, but th-then..." he cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably at the memory, "Then you put the hat on me and, um, well I was unsure you would like it..."

She smiled, "Well, I don't like it."

He frowned in confusion, "B-but you just said-"

She touched his wrist to interrupt him, "I love it."

Walter's frown slid into a smile and he chuckled. But his laugh quickly faded when he realized she hadn't removed her hand, and was softly stroking his wrist with her thumb. He took in a shaky breath, though it did little to stabilize him. She was looking at him with... adoration? That couldn't be right. But, oh boy did he adore her. "I-"

"Your dessert," The waiter interrupted him with a smile and a cheesecake.

When the waiter left, Paige turned back to him expectantly. What had he been about to say? Oh. No. His mouth did that thing again where it operated without his brain's permission. He'd been about to blurt out that he loved her. Shit.

He turned away and grabbed a fork, taking a hasty mouthful, partly to prevent himself from blurting again, and partly as an excuse to not look at her.

He winced when she sighed. He could sense her disappointment, and tentatively looked at her. She was glancing around the restaurant, bringing a forkful of cheesecake to her mouth. He was considering what to say to her when she spoke, "You know, it's been an hour. Seems like they should be back here."

Walter glanced around the restaurant too and shrugged, "Perhaps even the fastpass line was long."

Paige looked at him and rolled her eyes, "I think the more likely scenario would be that Mom took him to do something else, after I explicitly told her not to."

Walter couldn't deny that she was likely right, and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. Paige's annoyance with her mom dissolved into amusement, and she gently elbowed Walter in the ribs with a playful smirk on her face.

* * *

Veronica and Ralph briskly walked down the hallway exit from Space Mountain toward the photo display. They both burst out laughing when they saw it: Veronica had tried to obscure Ralph from the photo, while Ralph strained his neck to keep his face visible, simultaneously fending off his grandma's hands as she reached further. The effort of all this distorted and pinched their faces, while they flailed around in their seats.

Once they gathered themselves, Veronica grinned, "Okay, we have to buy this one."

Ralph agreed as they walked up to the counter. After purchasing, Veronica looked at her phone as they walked out of the building, "Oh, it's only been half an hour. I think we should give them some more time. How about we get some hot dogs, then ice cream, since we didn't get any earlier."

Ralph twisted his lips, "I don't know, Mom said to come back..."

"Oh, it's not like we're getting into any trouble. And we deserve some ice cream for all the plotting we've done."

"I've done."

She rolled her eyes, "Okay, you've done. Hot dogs and ice cream?"

Ralph hesitated before smirking up at her. She took that as a yes. "Alright! Bar or soft serve?"

* * *

When Ralph and Veronica finally made it back to the restaurant, Walter and Paige were stepping outside.

Paige's greeted them, "Hey, I was just about to call you. What took you so long?"

"Oh, we grabbed some hot dogs and ice cream on the way back."

Paige smiled and shook her head, deciding to pick her battles wisely, "Well, did you have fun?"

Ralph nodded and pulled out the pictures, "We bought these."

Paige took them and smiled, "Oh, that's so cute!"

Ralph beamed, then checked the time, "We should get going, if we want good seats for the fireworks.

Paige nodded, and as they began walking, Walter didn't miss her defeated sigh. "You okay?"

Paige looked at him uncertainly, then, after determining that her son and mother were far enough away, she confided, "Honestly? I'm jealous."

Walter frowned, taking a second to figure out what she meant, "Oh. Um, jealous of what?"

Paige's purses her lips, gathering her thoughts, "I tried for ten years to have a relationship with my son like in that photo. Then my mom waltzes in and gets to have that relationship effortlessly, after you- a-and the rest of the team, brought him out of his shell." She shrugged, "I don't know, it just feels kinda unfair." After a few moments walking in silence, she sighed again, "It's kinda silly, isn't it?"

"What's silly?"

"Being jealous."

"Oh." He shook his head and looked at her, "No, it makes sense." Sensing she wanted reassurance but having absolutely no idea what to say, he stuttered, "Um, I-I'm s-sorry."

Paige glanced sideways at him and slowly gave a half smile. She could tell in his voice that he was uncertain, and found it strangely endearing. On impulse, she wrapped her arms around his arm, hugging his arm to her briefly, "Thanks."

Ralph led them to Small World, which in the dark was lit with dazzling colorful lights. The area had a curb they sat on, and waited for the fireworks to start.

Walter turned to see Paige, the lights from Small World casting her face in a faint pink glow that emphasized her features. She was looking up at the fireworks, which reflected in her brown eyes, and Walter couldn't think of a time she looked more beautiful.

When the fireworks were over and the applause faded, music began playing from the speakers in the plants, barely audible above the commotion of the crowds. They stood up, but decided to wait until the area cleared out a little. As the crowd slowly thinned out, Paige heard the lyrics of the song, _We woke up on a runaway train..._ And she was thrown into memories of that speeding train, Walter detaching his train car, fading into the darkness, the feeling of panic and loss when she had realized what he'd done... She looked at him, and she couldn't be certain what he was thinking, but she could've sworn the expression he wore revealed that the lyrics triggered the same memories in him.

Walter remembered when she slapped him for saving her... it had confused him at the time. He saved her and her son... shouldn't she have been happy about that? But when they talked after, it was the first time he ever considered that she might care about him to the same extent he cared about her. He certainly would have gone out of his mind if she tried a stunt like that.

The lyrics continued, _I found love when I least expected it..._ You could say that. Walter hadn't even believed love was real before Paige. Little did he know she would make him fall in love with her. He wasn't sure he even recognized the man who had fixed the router at Kovelsky's. His whole system of thinking about the world and himself changed because of her.

 _...I found me in a place too crazy to mention, they say that life is stranger than fiction..._ You could say that. Not once in her life did she ever imagine that she would have a genius son, work with a team of geniuses to save the world time and time again, and fall in love with someone like Walter. It sounded like fiction, except it wasn't. It was her life. And the man who stood in front of her was certainly stranger than fiction, but she loved him for it.

Wait, when did they get so close? Paige could hear Walter's breathing over the commotion around them, and Walter could smell the scent of her lavender hand cream.

 _...I found love from the strength of letting go..._

His eyes dropped down to her lips, and she marveled at how he could have her almost panting without even touching her.

When she licked her lips, that's when he lost it. He closed the distance and kissed her firmly, but gently.

A shot of desire rushed through her, and her body reacted before she even processed what happened. This wasn't the wild, anxious fervor of their first kiss, but it sure as hell had all the passion. It was deeper, and slower, and the force of the love Paige felt in the way he kissed her with such intensity almost made her cry. For a man who claimed for so long to not have feelings, he sure loved deeply.

She snaked her hands around the back of his neck, tugging softly at his hair, while he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. He pulled his lips off hers to kiss along her jawline, making his way to her neck, just below her ear. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she shuddered with a sigh.

He responded by humming and whispering into her ear, "I love you."

Paige gasped, and she felt tears spring in her eyes. _Did he just say that?_ She was pretty sure he just said that. She moved to kiss him again, but then he pulled away.

"What-" she started to ask, but then she saw the look in his eyes. She'd seen that look before. She felt a ball of dread settle in her stomach, and suddenly her tears were for a completely different reason.


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay so this chapter is pretty much pure angst... sorry...**

* * *

Walter quickly turned away from her and agitatedly ran his hand through his hair. It came back suddenly, all at once, and he could barely breathe.

"Walter?" Paige asked shakily.

Veronica and Ralph watched on in fascination. Neither really knew what was happening, but they'd seen the kiss, and they'd seen it all turn bad in the blink of an eye.

Veronica put her hand on Ralph's shoulder, "Uhm, Ralph, why don't you and I go ahead back to the hotel so we can get you ready for bed."

"No." Walter said harshly. He couldn't be alone with her right now. He honestly had no idea what he was feeling, but he definitely knew he was feeling too much. "We-We'll go back with you."

As Walter began to walk away, Paige touched his elbow, "Walter."

He stiffened and pulled his arm away, just enough so she was no longer touching him. He didn't say anything, didn't even look at her, and she felt a wave of helplessness. Was he mad? Hurt? She couldn't tell. She knew that they needed to talk about this as soon as possible, because with their track record, if they didn't, they would never talk about it.

As they made their way out of the park, Paige quietly asked her mom, "Do you mind if I switch rooms with Ralph tonight?"

"No, not at all. I know you have a lot to talk about. And..." Hesitating slightly, she continued, "If you need anything, you can come to me."

Feeling too overwhelmed to get annoyed at her mother's kindness, Paige muttered, "Thanks."

* * *

When Paige followed Walter into the hotel room, he turned around and frowned, "W-what are you doing?"

"We need to talk about what just happened."

He looked down and exhaled, "P-Paige..."

She swallowed, "You, um, you remembered? Space?" He nodded, avoiding her eyes. She still couldn't read him, so she decided to ask him directly, "S-so... A-are you okay?"

He scratched the side of his head, "I don't know."

After some silence, she decided to apologize for at least one thing, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you what happened. I wanted to, but... Toby told me not to."

He scoffed, "Of course he did." She wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, but before she could ask, he finally looked at her, "S-so, you've known? This whole time?" She nodded and he raised his voice, "You knew and you still rubbed your relationship in my face? That was all on purpose?"

Taken aback, she shook her head, "N-no, Walter, I wasn't trying to rub anything in your face. I'm sorry that it hurt you-" He interrupted her with a derisive scoff, and she suddenly went into defensive mode, "Walter, you have to understand that when you pushed me toward Tim, it hurt. I had resolved to move on. I tried to be patient, Walter, but if I couldn't be happy with you... well, I would've rather settled for something else than continue building hope for us just to have it smashed again. B-but then you showed up at Tahoe, and it felt like, on top of everything else, you just didn't want me to be happy-"

He yelled, "All I've been trying to do this whole time is do what would make you happy!" He knew it was a stupid thing to say. He knew she had a valid point. But he was overwhelmed, and it felt like he could _never_ do anything right, however much he wanted to. He wanted _so bad_ for her to just recognize he was trying.

Paige was trying hard to remain calm, and her voice came out dangerously low, "You think it makes me happy to be repeatedly rejected by you?"

"What about you?! I might not have made the best choices, but at least I was _trying!_ You did much more than reject me when you repeatedly dangled your relationship with Tim in front of me after what happened in space! You _knew_ that I love you, but you kept doing it anyway! Do you have any idea how that felt?! I would _never_ intentionally hurt you like that!"

Swallowing her pride and doing her best to address his pain first, "I know. I'm sorry. I wasn't doing it on purpose, I just... I guess it was my stupid, immature way of getting back at you. It's not an excuse, I-."

Walter's voice quieted with exhaustion, "Getting back at me for what?" After a pause he raised his voice again in frustration, "What could I have possibly done to deserve that, to get my heart broken over and over?"

All of Paige's frustration spilled over, and she screamed at him, "Do you really not get it?!" She could feel tears blur her vision, but she didn't stop, "You broke my heart every time you chose Scorpion over me, every time you claimed a relationship was destabilizing, every time I thought we might be going somewhere just for you to back out again!" Her next statement came out much more squeaky than she would've liked, "And it's happening now, Walter!" By now tears were rolling down her cheeks.

Seeing the tears and feeling instantly guilty, he responded, "Wait, I-"

But she kept going, her words beginning to run into each other as she let go of any and all verbal filters, "I mean, God, Walter, I know you don't mean to do it. You never mean to hurt anyone, but you do, and you hurt me!" Now she started pacing, "I've tried to help you, but you never seem to get there, and I wonder more and more if you ever will, or if you even _want_ to be helped. I just don't get it, Walter, what is it?! What does it take for you?! What is wrong with you, why can't you get it through your stupid genius head that the only thing keeping us from being happy is _your_ refusal to open up?!"

Wait, did she just say that? _'What is wrong with you?'_ He felt his chest tighten at hearing those words from Paige's mouth. He was way too familiar with that question. He'd gotten that question all his life, from family, teachers, peers, and to this day, from himself. He had only ever known two people in his life who he _knew_ would never ask that: Megan... and Paige. But, here she was, asking him what was wrong with him.

He realized he couldn't see her clearly through his tears, and briefly wondered when he'd started crying. He knew he should say something, but his throat was tight and painful. He could barely swallow, let alone force words up through his throat.

And what made it worse was that it was _his_ fault. _He_ had driven her to ask that of him. Perhaps that meant everyone else had been right to ask it. He didn't know, but at that moment he couldn't go on with this conversation. He had to be alone, think, outside, where the walls weren't smothering him.

As he opened the door, he only barely heard her voice through the roar of his own thoughts, "Walter, wait."

He turned around, avoiding her gaze, "No, I just need to..." His voice kept breaking between whispering and hoarse as he tried to speak. He didn't finish his sentence before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

Paige covered her mouth in a silent sob as he left. She had watched his expression go from worried to wounded, and as soon as she realized what she'd said, she regretted it. There was nothing wrong with Walter. Absolutely nothing. Sure, he infuriated her sometimes, but she would _never_ trade that in for a 'normal' Walter. If Walter wasn't the way he was, she probably wouldn't have fallen in love with him. She didn't know why she said it. How were they going to recover from this? _Could_ they recover?

She sat down on the bed, resting against the headboard and hugging her knees to her chest. Then she buried her face in her thighs and sobbed.

She had no idea how long it had been when the crying subsided, but she got up, grabbed her phone, and called Walter. She didn't really think about whether it was a good idea. She just needed to know that he was okay, at least physically.

He didn't answer. She guessed she shouldn't have been surprised, but she found herself at a loss when the machine beeped for her message. "Uh-Umm..." she stuttered. Her voice didn't sound like her own. Too raspy. She began to pace. "Walter... I just, I need to know... um, l-last time you left emotional like this you ended up over the side of a cliff, so, just... Let me know that you're safe? Please? I, um... I'm sorry-" then the machine cut her off.

She sighed and flopped backed down on the bed, resuming her previous position. She remained there, staring ahead at nothing, until she noticed the first gray light of dawn creating a ghostly white glow through the window curtains.

* * *

Walter didn't know where he was going. He just walked. The dry night air of LA chapped his lips, but he didn't notice as he breathed, trying to steady his heart rate.

As much as he loved Paige, he couldn't help but wonder if they both would've been happier if they never met in the diner that day. If he had the choice, though, he could never choose a life without Paige. Even if it were a less painful one.

He kicked the ground in frustration. Everyone pushed him to develop his emotions, and when he did, he ended up having to hide them anyway. So what was the point? To be miserable? He was always told that being a robot was no way to live, but this was? Being helplessly in love with someone who probably didn't love him back, hurting her, getting hurt... all _that_ was the way to live?

All this time he thought Paige and Tim were just being a couple. Which made him nauseous enough. But she _knew_ , and she couldn't at least be more discreet about her relationship with the interloper? Happy and Toby acted professional, innappropriate Tobyisms aside, so it obviously couldn't be _that_ hard. He knew she was mad at him, and rightfully so, but he had thought, when it came down to it, she still cared about him, as a friend at least. But would a friend do this?

He wasn't mad at her. Not really. Disappointed, hurt, afraid, confused, yes, but not angry. Okay, maybe he'd been mad at first, but that initial charge of anger had fizzled out by the time he'd gotten to the hotel lobby. He wasn't sure he could ever be mad at her in the long term, whatever she did. And that's what scared him the most.

He looked around and realized he didn't know where he was. He stopped and turned around, but didn't dare try to find his own way back on unfamiliar LA streets. He pulled out his phone and saw he had a message from Paige, but opened the maps on his phone without checking the message. He couldn't hear her voice right now, not yet.

He could see the horizon beginning to glow with dawn, and knew he had to head back. Part of him thought he should just rent a car and drive back to the garage, but he knew he couldn't avoid this forever, and the results the last time he drove emotional were... unfavorable.

* * *

Paige snapped her head up when she heard a door open. Then she slouched in disappointment when she saw it was her mom coming through the door to the adjoining room.

Her mom looked at her with sympathy, and somehow that made it worse. "Mom, please don't."

"I just wanted to see if you were okay."

Paige frowned, "You heard?"

"Sweety, these walls are not soundproof.

Paige's eyes widened, did Ralph hear?"

Veronica winced, "Yes." When Paige scrunched up her face, she continued, "But, hey, I told him that you guys had a lot of bottled up feelings, and you'll make up." Giving her daughter a soft, stern look, she added, "So you better."

Paige sighed and swung her legs over the side of the bed, "I'm not sure we can."

"Oh, I've seen Scorpion do much more impossible things. You two will be fine, but only if you want to be." Veronica hesitated before reaching out and tucking a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear. She felt a little spark of warmth when she didn't pull away or give her a weird look. Granted, that was probably only because Paige was staring into space lost in her thoughts and hadn't even noticed the gesture. But it was something.

* * *

Walter eventually found his way back to the hotel, and wandered into the lobby, into the elevator. As he arrived to the hotel door and pulled out his key, he took a deep breath, then pushed the door open.

"Walter!" Paige immediately appeared in front of him and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. "You're okay."

Her sudden rush toward him had surprised him, and in his emotional state, he didn't recover quickly. He was still stiff as a board when she pulled back suddenly, "Oh- S-sorry, I didn't mean to... I'm just, I was worried..."

When she trailed off, he asked, "Worried?"

She sighed heavily, and gave him a look as if it should be obvious, "Walter, you took off emotional, you never told me where you were going or if you were okay, for all I knew you were-" she broke off, turned away and ran her hand through her hair.

Veronica awkwardly broke through the silence, "Um, I'll just take Ralph to breakfast." Nobody answered her as she left.

Paige was still faced away from him when he responded, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you."

Paige turned back to him and responded quietly, "I know, Walter. And I should apologize. For a lot of things, but first for saying those things last night. I didn't mean it."

This was the first time he'd gotten a good look at her face, and now he was _really_ sorry. Her eyes were puffy and red, her makeup was smeared, and one eye looked bigger than the other. She'd been crying, and probably hadn't slept.

Had she really been _that_ worried about him? He should have looked at her message. He shouldn't have been so selfish. He sat down on the bed and ran his hand over his face. "I'm sorry. I- I only want to do the right thing, and I'm trying, b-but it feels like all I ever do is hurt you." She sat down next to him. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

Understanding that he was talking about much more than last night, "I know you're sorry. And I know you're trying. And yes, you've hurt me. But-"

"I don't think I'm good for you," Walter muttered, looking down at his hands.

Paige whispered, "Walter..." Recovering slightly she continued,"Walter, I don't ever want you to think that you only bring pain to my life. My life changed for the better when I met you. Ralph too. And the only reason you are able to hurt me is because I love you-"

His head snapped up, "What?"

* * *

 **I feel like I ended this chapter on a somewhat awkward spot, but it was the best I could do without making the chapter ridiculously long. I know I was so mean to Walter, I'm sorry. I promise you I don't think he deserved it. But I'll make it up... hopefully :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**I actually changed this chapter quite a lot from what I had even just a few days ago. It's still the same basic stuff, it just lacked... flavor, I guess? I don't know, but I'm much more satisfied with this now.**

 **I've used some suggestions from reviews in this chapter, things I wanted to use but wouldn't have made sense until this chapter. So thank you for that.**

 **And thank you for supporting this story, I hope you enjoy the 8th and final chapter!**

* * *

 _"Walter, I don't ever want you to think that you only bring pain to my life. My life changed for the better when I met you. Ralph too. And the only reason you are able to hurt me is because I love you-"_

 _His head snapped up, "What?"_

She looked confusedly at him, "What?"

He was staring intensely at her in a way that took her breath away, "You- you said, um, y-you, love m-me...?"

"Yes, Walter, I thought you... I thought you remembered space...?"

"I- I did, I just thought, um, you were trying to save me."

"Well, I was, but..."

"But you meant it?"

Paige sighed, "I'm not sure that I knew I meant it at the time, but yes. I love you, and I have for a while now."

He frowned at her for a second, trying to digest this. "H-how long?"

"How long have I loved you?" She gave a small giggle in spite of the situation, "I don't know, Walter. At some point, I just sort of... did."

He looked away and gulped, realizing that was exactly how it was for him.

When she continued, her voice was softer, almost afraid of the answer, "So... you thought I didn't love you?"

He frowned again, "I guess I never... I just assumed..."

"Oh, Walter," she whispered. She could feel tears springing to her eyes, making them feel scratchy. "I can't blame you, though. I've, um, done a lot of stuff I regret regarding us. Walter... I made the decision to try to escape what was happening with us, and I did that without any regard for you. I was being selfish. I had been hurt, so I stopped trying. I'm so sorry for that."

Walter didn't know what to say. He pressed his lips together as he struggled to sort through his thoughts. Then he looked down when he felt her hand slide over his. He turned his palm up so they could link fingers, then he looked back up at her, "I'm, um, sorry I hurt you to the point that you felt the need to protect yourself from me. I was scared of losing you... I figured out that I would lose you anyway if I kept you at arms length, but I still wonder if you'd be happy with me. I know I'm not easy, and I probably never will be."

One of the corners of Paige's mouth turned up, "Well, I'm gunna pull a cheesy line and quote Theodore Roosevelt, 'nothing worth having comes easy.'"

"I just... I don't want to hurt you."

"I don't want to hurt you either, Walter. But obviously staying friends didn't stop that."

Walter sighed, "I know."

After a pause, Paige shifted her weight to face Walter more, "Look, we've both hurt each other, we both regret things, and we both love each other." She smiled and half-joked, "Maybe we could just call it even?" Walter briefly smiled before she grew serious again, "I know we both have a lot to make up for, and it's gunna be a while before things are back to the way they were, m-maybe better than they were..." She trailed off for a second, searching his face. "But maybe we can move forward now? Work on this together?"

Walter nodded, feeling his whole body relax with relief, "I'd like that."

Paige smiled, "Okay." She didn't know what to do next. Boy, she wanted to kiss him, but they still hadn't exactly defined their relationship. Was a kiss too much-?

Walter interrupted her thoughts by pressing his lips on hers. They were still holding hands, but Walter brought his other hand to rest on her thigh. This kiss wasn't deep, but it was sweet, and she melted against him. When they broke away she threw her arms around him and closed her eyes, missing him. "God, I love you."

Walter slid his arms around her waist, "I love you too."

"I knew you guys would make up!" Walter and Paige jumped at the sound of Ralph's voice. They turned to see Ralph standing in the doorway, a big grin on his face, and Veronica standing behind him.

"I'm sorry, I told him not to come in." Ralph gave Veronica a look. She had told him to come in.

Shrugging Ralph came further into the room and smiled mischievously, "So. When are you getting married?"

Paige's eyes widened and she raised her eyebrows in a stern look, getting up to shoo him out, "Okay, that's enough. We have to check out by noon, so pack up then we'll go to Disneyland before going home."

Ralph turned around, "I'm already packed! We can go now!"

He started for the doorway, but Paige grabbed his shoulder. She sagged, looking forward to the time it would've taken Ralph to pack so she could take a nap. And Ralph seemed a little... overexcited. "What did you have for breakfast?"

"Chocolate chip waffles with peanut butter, honey, and whipped cream, and muffins, and a donut!"

Paige glared at her mom, and she defended, "What? He had peanut butter." Paige gave her an exasperated look. Why the hell did peanut butter matter? "It's... protein..." But even as Veronica spoke, her voice faded as she crumbled under Paige's death stare.

Paige then turned back to Ralph, "Ralph, Walter and I haven't really slept, so why don't you and Grandma go into Disneyland while we nap. We'll catch up with you later."

"Okay!"

Veronica followed Ralph out, but not before saying, "Okay, you two have fun 'napping.'" Then she threw a wink over her shoulder.

Paige's mouth dropped open, "Mo-" but promptly snapped her jaw shut, not daring to make a big deal of it in front of her son, fearing he'd catch on to what her mom was referring to.

Paige really did just want to sleep. Not that the other kind of 'sleep' wasn't appealing... but they'd only barely begun to repair their relationship, and she didn't think that was a line either one of them was ready to cross yet. Besides, she was absolutely exhausted. She wasn't sure she could get through another five minutes of conversation, let alone... other stuff. Turning back to Walter after Ralph and Veronica left, she stuttered, "I- I didn't m-mean that..."

Walter snorted a laugh, "I know."

After a pause, Paige continued, still feeling awkward, "A-and sorry about Ralph, h-he's, um-"

"Excited. And on a sugar high. I know." He smiled, "It's okay."

Wow. He really had evolved so much from that man she met at the diner. She couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before, and felt a fresh wave of guilt. She stepped closer to him and pulled him into a hug.

Somehow he understood, and as he hugged her back, he whispered, "I forgive you."

She thought she might start crying again, so she pulled back, "I'm gunna, um, change into pajamas."

Walter nodded as she left, and sighed. It felt like the first deep breath he'd gotten in so long. He laid down on the bed and closed his eyes. He was half asleep when heard Paige come back in, and opened his eyes in surprise when he felt the bed compress with her weight, and drowsily muttered, "Oh."

She looked at him, "Oh, is this not okay?" When he didn't respond immediately, she started to get up, "Th-that's okay, I can sleep in the other bed-"

He grabbed her wrist before she could get up all the way, "Wait."

She stopped and smiled, "Really Walter, it's okay. I know all of this is new-"

"No." He slipped his hand from her wrist to her hand, and began to pull her back toward him. She smiled when she got what he was saying, and tentatively laid her head on his chest, her hand on his stomach.

"This okay?" She whispered.

He gave a noncommittal hum, already half asleep again, but answered her by wrapping his arm around her and settling his hand on the small of her back.

* * *

Paige woke up to the smell of coffee. Cinnamon coffee. She opened her eyes and sat up. The bed was empty, and when she looked around the room she saw Walter at a desk on his computer. Rubbing her eyes, she asked, "What time is it?"

Glancing up, he answered, "11:00am."

She groaned. She'd gotten about 3 and a half hours of sleep. "How long have you been up?"

"Uh, since 10:30. I didn't wake you up, did I?"

Getting out of bed, she answered, "No, I think my sleep deprived brain smelled coffee and decided it needed some." Making her way to the coffee machine, she asked, "Speaking of, how'd you get the cinnamon? I've never seen that in room coffee."

"Oh, they had it at the continental breakfast downstairs. I wanted to get it before they closed, which is just about now."

Paige grinned, "You went all the way downstairs just for some cinnamon?" She turned around to face him, "That's sweet, Walter."

Walter smiled briefly at her. He hadn't considered it sweet, but he was glad Paige thought so. He just hadn't put cinnamon in her coffee in so long at the garage, and wanted to bring things back to the way they were. He hadn't realized how much they had become like strangers until they were friends again.

She walked over and kissed him on the cheek, and he was slightly embarrassed to feel himself blush. Okay, maybe not friends exactly.

She pulled him out of his thoughts when she grumbled, "Uh God, I look like a hot mess." He looked up to see she was standing in front of her reflection in the wall mirror, apparently just noticing her disheveled appearance. The redness had gone from her eyes, but they were still slightly puffy, her makeup still smeared, and now her hair was tangled and looping in different directions. But he found it... cute? And now that he wasn't as physically and emotionally exhausted, he noticed she was wearing a light purple silk camisole and matching colored plaid shorts, making her legs look miles long. It was out of his mouth before he even realized he had the thought, "Emphasis on the hot."

He froze. Did he just say that out loud? Judging by the way she stopped brushing mid-knot and slowly turned around, he was guessing he did. He gulped.

She felt a furious blush creep up her cheeks as she gaped at him. Walter O'Brien, calling her hot? That was something she never thought she'd see. Then a smile slowly crept on her lips as he fumbled, "I-I mean, um, I didn't- I was, uh, just saying that it- I d-don't mind th-the look."

"I'll bet you don't," she smirked as she grabbed her clothes and stalked off to the bathroom for her shower, making sure to sway her hips as she went.

* * *

The two found an all-day breakfast buffet that was right next to the hotel. As they walked in, Paige inhaled, "Mmm smells good."

They picked up their plates and scanned the buffet, until Paige spotted some waffles. "Oooh, waffles," she headed in that direction, and Walter followed. She put two on her plate, "I haven't had these in so long." She then grabbed the honey and began to pour it onto her waffles, when her hand slipped and she squirted honey all over Walter's hand.

She gasped, "I am so sorry," trying and failing to hide her giggles.

She grabbed a napkin as he also failed to hide a smirk, "You think that's funny?"

She shook her head, "No," now in a full fit of laughter.

She began to wipe it up, but he pulled his hand back, "I'm gunna have to wash this off. Where are the bathrooms?"

Her mischievous streak showing, she covertly dipped her finger in the honey she had scooped up with the napkin. With the other hand, she pointed away from her, "Over there."

As he looked over his shoulder, she swiftly touched his cheek, leaving a glob of honey behind.

He turned back to her, his face stoic. Wait... was he mad? She... she was just teasing. She opened her mouth to apologize, when his hand came up and swiped across her nose, leaving something gooey. He licked his finger with a smug expression, "Yogurt."

She opened her mouth in fake protest, then swiped her finger across his cheek to his nose, carrying some of the honey to his nose.

Grinning now, he immediately moved to wipe more yogurt on her face, but she ducked. In one smooth motion, she caught his wrist and licked the yogurt off his finger, only barely closing her lips around the tip.

His smile disappeared immediately, replaced by a warm, smoldering look as a jolt of desire rushed through him. She nearly melted under it, but she decided to play it innocent and asked casually, "Mmm what flavor is that? It's good." He didn't answer her, his mouth was too dry. She leaned forward toward him, reaching past him so he caught a whiff of lavender. When she pulled back she was holding a yogurt container, "Oh, strawberry. I think I'll take one." She wiped the yogurt from her nose and licked it off, fully closing her lips around her finger and pulling her finger out of her mouth, drawing out the action. His eyes trained on her lips of their own accord and he gulped when she licked her lips. Then she whisked around and walked away, finally dropping the act and smirking to herself. This teasing thing was really fun.

Walter stared after her, and realized he wasn't breathing. He inhaled sharply, taking in some much-needed oxygen.

After breakfast, they walked through the main gaits of Disneyland, Paige on the phone with Ralph, "Yeah we're coming in now, where are you guys?"

"We're in line for Haunted House. You guys gotta hurry before we go in."

"Okay, see you there, love you."

"Love you too, Mom."

Paige hung up and told Walter where they were going, and they needed to hurry. She hated to admit it, but she had been feeling giddy all morning, and everything was making her happy. She had the strangest urge to skip, as if she were still a kid, but instead grabbed Walter's hand and began running through the park, pulling him along, "Come on!"

When they arrived at the entrance to the line for Haunted House, Walter quipped, "I don't think I've ever run that far when there wasn't a national emergency involved." Paige laughed, and as they slowed to a walk, he half expected her to let go of his hand, but she didn't. He realized how much he had grown to expect a certain level of distance between them, and anticipate the disappointment of it. This was going to take a lot of getting used to. But in a good way. They shared a glance as they caught up to Ralph and Veronica. Yes, definitely in a good way.

* * *

They were in front of the line, deciding who would ride with whom. Paige asked Ralph, "You wanna ride with Grandma?"

"Sure."

Veronica added, "Yeah, you and Walter will go together." She subtly raised an eyebrow, just enough so Paige would get the message loud and clear.

Paige gave her an exasperated look and vaguely shook her head, except this time she blushed. Because this time her mom was right.

After they got on the ride, Paige sidled up close to Walter, and held his hand. After a few seconds, she rested her head on his shoulder, then placed her other hand on his thigh, tracing small circles on him with her finger. He shifted, and she knew she was getting to him. She turned her head, letting her breath tickle his neck. She saw him gulp, and felt a smirk begin to slide onto her lips. She was slowly moving to kiss him lightly on his neck, when suddenly his lips were on hers.

He swallowed her soft gasp, and almost immediately ran his tongue along her bottom lip. She parted her lips to let him deepen the kiss, and they were going quickly from sweet to fervent. He sensed he had turned the tables when he surprised her, and left her lips to kiss along her jawline to her neck.

When he found a particularly sensitive spot, he nearly passed over it, but quickly returned when he realized its effect.

"Wal..." she trailed off, unable to finish his name when he ever so slightly sucked. She had to bite her lip to keep herself quiet, and somehow managed to have the presence of mind to realize this was going too far.

"Wal-Walter." Apparently he took that as encouragement, because he only emboldened his attention to her neck, passing his tongue over her skin, and she thought she would jump out of her skin. "Walter. Stah-Stop."

He pulled back and looked at her, confused. "What- I thought, I thought you liked that."

She laughed and answered emphatically, "Yes, I did. It was good, just um..." She swallowed, "Maybe a little too good."

"Oh." As he processed what she meant, a slow smug expression took over his face.

She playfully slapped his chest and laughed, "Shut up."

He scoffed, "Hey, that's just payback for this morning."

* * *

After Haunted House, Ralph, of course, wanted 'one more ride.' But Paige insisted they head back to the garage. She and Walter had, after all, only gotten a few hours of sleep, and she really wanted to have an early dinner and go to bed.

When they got back to the garage, Walter went upstairs to put his luggage in his room.

As he disappeared upstairs Veronica turned to Paige, "You know I've been rooting for you two."

Paige rolled her eyes, "Yeah, you've made that clear enough."

"Hey, I was right wasn't I?"

"I could have done without the interference."

Veronica muttered, "Oh, you don't know the half of it."

Frowning, Paige was about to ask what that meant when Walter reappeared. Deciding to ignore her mom, Paige asked Walter, "Hey, you, um, wanna go out to dinner with me and Ralph?"

Walter smiled. It had been a long time since they'd done that. Add that to the list of things he missed. "Yeah, sounds good."

She pecked him on the cheek and he slid his hand into hers as Ralph shared a secret high five with his grandma. Then they headed toward the door for dinner. The three of them. A family.

Paige sighed, and without turning around, called out, "Come on, Mom."

* * *

 **One final note for those in the Scorpion forum: I know Walter wasn't exactly _covered_ in honey, but it counts, right? Hehe.**


End file.
